


fate fell short this time

by like_your_territory



Series: gawsten oneshots [1]
Category: Waterparks (Band)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Brief Smut, Cross-Posted on Wattpad, Friends to Lovers, Gawsten, Help, How Do I Tag, Kinda, M/M, Panic Attacks, Pining, Unrequited Love, but you don't see that, honestly the angst is pretty lowkey, like they don't fuck or anything, no nevermind actually they do fuck
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-27
Updated: 2020-07-27
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:47:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25541599
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/like_your_territory/pseuds/like_your_territory
Summary: based off of feeling this by blink-182. listen to it while reading for the full experience. originally posted on wattpad 02/06/2020
Relationships: Awsten Knight & Geoff Wigington, Awsten Knight/Geoff Wigington
Series: gawsten oneshots [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1850797
Kudos: 12





	fate fell short this time

**Author's Note:**

> based off of feeling this by blink-182. listen to it while reading for the full experience. originally posted on wattpad 02/06/2020

_"Hey, are you here by yourself?"_

_The boy looked up and nodded somewhat apprehensively, watching as Geoff sat next to him on the dock._

_"The stars are pretty, huh?" he asked, trying to dissolve some of the tension, glancing over to the boy, who just nodded again._

_"I'm Geoff," he said, "my mom kinda owns this place. She told me to come and see what you were up to and to make sure you weren't, like, drunk or something."_

_"Nice to meet you, Geoff," the boy replied, "I'm-"_

"Awsten!"

Geoff looked around his room, laying back in his bed as he realised that he _wasn't_ out on the docks and Awsten _wasn't_ here and that _but maybe he's out on the docks I have to check I have to go outside I have to-_

"Geoff?" he glanced to his door, where his mom was standing, "I heard you yell, are you alright?"

"Yeah, I just-"

"You're not still hung up on that boy, are you?"

He was quiet for a moment. "No."

She sighed and closed his door, walking back down the hall, allowing Geoff to think again. He glanced out his window, his heart almost stopping when he saw someone sitting on the edge of the dock.

He jumped out of bed and tugged on a shirt and a pair of slip-on Vans, then ran outside.

He stopped as he opened the back doorbecause there _wasn't_ anyone on the docks and there _wasn't_ ever anyone there because Awsten _wasn't_ here and he probably _never would be_ again.

He sighed and walked outside anyway, because fuck, he was already awake and probably wouldn't be able to get back to sleep if he tried. Not to mention that the stars were pretty, maybe not as pretty as they were the night he met Awsten, but still pleasant to look at.

He tried to think about something else, something that wouldn't make him feel like his heart was cracking like glass under pressure, but that was easier said than done. He didn't know what he could even do about it at this point, he couldn't just look through old files and try and find his parents' phone numbers and call them up like, "yo, I'm in love with your son that I met at my mom's resort a while ago which, by the way, hasn't felt the same since."

Except he totally _could_ do that. Then again, what if their phone numbers changed? That was completely possible. Just like Awsten coming back was completely possible.

It was honestly more of a matter or whether or not it was _plausible_ , Geoff decided. He thought about it as he sat down on the edge of the dock. Sure, Awsten coming back was _totally_ within the realm of possibility, but the realm of plausibility? Not so much. It had been over a year. A lot can change within that amount of time. Someone could ruin their entire life in just a fraction of that. Someone could _fix_ their life in a fraction of that. Someone could rise to fame, just as they could fall from the limelights.

It was like fate itself had fallen short for once; like they were meant to meet each other for whatever reason, but somehow nothing ever came of it. They didn't become friends the way they were meant to, and life itself didn't give them another chance, as much as Geoff wished it had.

As bittersweet as it was, they'd had a lot of fun the few times Awsten was there. He still remembered how the day after they met, Awsten had practically dragged him to a nearby park and then proceeded to complain about his younger sister in the most angsty way a fourteen-year-old could. He had been particularly pissed about his father allowing her to play some shitty song called "Lean Like a Cholo" off of a CD she'd burned herself before they'd left.

 _"You wanna know the worst thing about it though?"_ he'd asked Geoff, _"Not only did she put fingerprints all over the goddamned disc, instead of putting the track on_ ** _once_** _and just having Dad set the radio to repeat, she copied it_ ** _twenty separate motherfucking times_** _and thought, 'oh yeah, that's fine.'"_

Geoff smiled to himself, taking a deep breath. Memories were the only thing he really had left at this point. Of course, the CD rant wasn't the only noteworthy conversation they'd had. The first time Awsten had visited, the majority of his free time was spent hanging out with Geoff. The second, they were practically attached at the hip, not that Geoff had minded. It gave him something to do other than checking in bitchy middle-aged moms and answering phones. They went to all kinds of places together; record shops, Starbucks, of course, the beach... Hell, he'd even convinced Awsten to go to a waterpark, which was a story in and of itself. Two teens walk into a waterpark. One says to the other, _"Geoff this is fucking lame why did you take me here we should go."_

All that aside, there were definitely more serious moments as well, such as the night Awsten almost had a panic attack and Geoff had to try to calm him down. That was last year, the night before Awsten was leaving. They'd been hanging out in Geoff's room, who had been on his DS, and just talking about whatever came to mind. After a while, he noticed how quiet the smaller boy had seemed, which was odd because once you got Awsten talking something he enjoyed, he didn't stop.

_"Are you okay?" Geoff asked, putting his DS down, "you've been quiet."_

_"U-uh, yeah," Awsten replied, "can... can we go outside, please?"_

_"Yeah," Geoff shrugged, grabbing a hoodie. "Sure."_

_He watched as Awsten quickly stood up and left the room, seeming to be in a bit of a rush. Geoff threw on his hoodie and followed after him, not really thinking much of it._

_When he got outside, Awsten was sitting on the steps outside the door, shifting uncomfortably. That was when Geoff realised something was off._

_"Hey," he said softly, sitting down as well. "Something's up. Do you wanna talk about it?"_

_"They- they're gonna make me go b-back, Geoff," he whispered, barely able to get the words out. "I don't wanna go back, I- I can't, I wanna stay h-here."_

_"Awsten, look at me," Geoff told him. "It's okay. You'll be okay, I promise-"_

_"No, I need you, Geoff, I fucking_ **_need_ ** _you, you don't get it!"_

_Geoff stopped caring about boundaries at that point, pulling Awsten into a hug. "Breathe," he mumbled, "You've gotta relax, okay? Just take a deep breath."_

_And Awsten did. He took a deep breath, hugged Geoff back, and then cried into his hoodie. Geoff just held him the entire time._

Geoff looked at the sky for a moment longer, then stood up and started walking back. For the first time in a few months, his mind was calm. He couldn't remember the last time he felt like that; it was probably the last time he'd seen Awsten. He punched in the code for the door absentmindedly, sighing as he walked inside and headed towards his room. He stopped as he turned the corner, noticing someone outside his door. They were just stood there, holding a duffel bag, a backpack on the floor next to them. Their hair was a faded pink, almost pastel in places, more orange in others. Their shirt was tie-dyed in brown and orange, a grey hoodie tied around their waist. Geoff walked over, confused as to how they got through the door with a keypad, clearly marked "EMPLOYEES ONLY."

"Uh, hey, can I help you with anything?" He asked. His heart stopped as the person turned to him.

Awsten.

Awsten was here. He was back. _He was back_.

He smiled widely, the excitement on his face not matching the harsh dark circles under his eyes. "Hey Geoff," he said softly.

"Holy fuck," Geoff whispered, "you're- you're here, oh my god!"

Awsten giggled, nodding. "Yeah. I'm here."

Geoff just stared at him for a moment longer before pulling the younger boy against his chest, ten-thousand different things running through his head at once. "I missed you," he said, "so much. So much, Awsten."

"I missed you too," he replied, his head resting on Geoff's shoulder as he closed his eyes. "I honestly didn't expect to be here right now."

"I didn't either," Geoff told him with a laugh. "Jesus, Awsten. You've gotta be tired. C'mere."

He opened the door to his room, letting Awsten go inside first. He grabbed the boy's backpack and moved it from the hallway to his desk, then closed and locked his door. Meanwhile, Awsten took off his shoes and threw on his hoodie, struggling to not just collapse onto the floor and sleep there.

"Why'd your parents decide to come so late this year?" Geoff asked as he sat down on his bed, watching Awsten dig through his bag. "I thought they liked coming in summer 'cause it didn't get you or your sister out of school."

"They didn't," Awsten told him simply, pulling out a pair of sweatpants. "I'm by myself."

"Oh... Wait, what?"

"I saved up money for a plane ticket and flew out to Tampa, then got a cab to here. Gracie's the only one I told 'cause she's the only one that really cares other than Mom, but she wouldn't let me if I asked, so I didn't tell her," Awsten explained, switching out his skinny jeans for his more comfortable sweatpants. "The reason we didn't come 'round this year is that my parents thought I was too attached to you, which, honestly, I don't blame them."

Geoff nodded, trying to figure out how the _fuck_ he managed to pull that off.

"It sounds crazy, like, 'ha, that'd never work,' right? But, at the same time, here I am." Awsten sighed and sat next to Geoff. "Whatever," he mumbled, and the next thing Geoff knew, Awsten was kissing him, and he was kissing back.

It started off slow and sweet, then quickly morphed into being more passionate and rough as Geoff pushed Awsten to lay down on his bed.

Awsten's hands were all over him, grabbing at everything he could reach; Geoff's shirt, his hair, his shoulders... he didn't mind in the slightest. Despite everything that happened the year prior, they'd never gone any further than this. Everything past making out was new territory.

Awsten broke the kiss after a while, panting, cheeks flushed. His eyes were clouded up with lust, and fuck, Geoff didn't know he could fall any deeper in love with the boy until that moment.

Geoff adjusted his position, his hard-on coming into contact with Awsten's. He hadn't even meant to do it, but with the moan that left younger boy's mouth, he was glad he did.

"Geoff," Awsten whimpered, "please..."

"Please what?" He teased.

"Fuck me," Awsten whispered breathlessly. "I need you, so bad."

Geoff didn't need to be told twice.

✧•✧•✧

Geoff slowly opened his eyes, grunting as the sun did its best to blind him. He sighed, pulling Awsten closer, not quite ready to wake up just yet.

Wait, Awsten?

He looked down at the boy that was peacefully cuddled up to his chest, oblivious to the outside world, and the night before flooded back into his mind.

Geoff smiled. For the first time in a long while, he felt okay.

"What the fuck...?" Awsten mumbled, pushing himself off of Geoff, rubbing his eyes.

Geoff laughed at the confused expression on the younger boy's face.

"Where the hell am I?" he asked, his voice thick with sleep. He stared at Geoff for a solid ten seconds before realising who he was looking at.

"Holy _shit_ , Geoff," he started, "oh my god, good morning? Or afternoon? Evening? Fuck, what time even is it?"

Geoff reached over and grabbed his phone from his nightstand, checking his screen. "Eleven twenty-two. Not bad. You hungry?"

"Hell yeah."

"Alright, cool. Let's go see if my mom'll make us anything. If not we can just hit up IHop or whatever."

Awsten nodded and got up. "Can I borrow a hoodie?"

"Sure, go ahead."

Geoff stared up at his ceiling, not paying attention to much of anything while Awsten looked through his closet. He honestly wasn't fully convinced this was all real; he felt more inclined to believe that this was just some elaborate series of hallucinations rather than that Awsten was really here.

"Geoff," Awsten called from the bathroom, "can you come here?"

"Why?" He asked, stretching as he climbed out of bed. He made his way to his en-suite, leaning on the doorframe. Awsten was staring in the mirror, pulling down the neckline of the hoodie he'd thrown on, showing off the very prominent hickies scattered over his neck and collarbones.

"What do we do about these?" He turned to Geoff. "What's your mom gonna say?"

Geoff shrugged. "I don't think she'll care." He smirked, taking a step closer. "Personally, I kinda like 'em."

Awsten playfully punched him in the arm, mumbling an amused "oh, fuck off." Geoff just laughed and followed him as he walked out.

"Outside?" Awsten asked as they left Geoff's bedroom.

"Yeah, sure."

Awsten smiled and dragged Geoff down the hall, out the door and down the beach, weaving through the other people that were either sunbathing or building sandcastles with their kids.

They landed at the dock, Awsten finally letting go of Geoff's wrist, walking to the very edge.

Geoff walked over as well and stood next to him, feeling a strong sense of deja vu. Memories from the night they first met flashed through his mind.

_"Hey, are you here by yourself?"_

_The boy looked up and nodded somewhat apprehensively, watching as Geoff sat next to him on the dock._

_"The stars are pretty, huh?" he asked, trying to dissolve some of the tension, glancing over to the boy, who just nodded again._

_"I'm Geoff," he said, "my mom kinda owns this place. She told me to come and see what you were up to and to make sure you weren't, like, drunk or something."_

_"Nice to meet you, Geoff," the boy replied, "I'm Awsten."_

_"Awsten," Geoff echoed. "I've never met an Awsten before."_

_Awsten shrugged, a small smile tugging at his lips. "Well, now you have."_

_"I guess so." He looked out over the sea, watching the way the water rippled. "We should probably go in before my mom comes and yells at me for letting you stay out here. We can chill in my room if you don't wanna go back to yours."_

_Awsten took a deep breath. "Yeah, that, uh... that sounds cool. Let's go."_

_Geoff smiled and stood up. "Alright, sick."_

He looked over to Awsten. "When do you have to go?"

The younger boy sighed. "Well, I'm seventeen, which means legally speaking, my parents can't do jack shit. So, whenever you get sick of me, I guess."

Geoff rolled his eyes. "I'll never get sick of you, you know that."

Awsten smiled. He took Geoff's hand in his, intertwined their fingers. "Then I'll leave when I wanna."


End file.
